Tomáš Hertl and Keegan Kolesar each had a goal and an assist in the Vegas Golden Knights‘ 3-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.
Tanner Pearson also scored, while Adin Hill made 31 saves to help Vegas improve to 23-8-3 on the season.
The Golden Knights have won four in a row and eight of their last nine.
“We’re playing good hockey. We’re collecting points, so that’s good,” Vegas forward William Karlsson said. “Now we got a three-day break, and we’ve got to stay on the track.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Golden Knights start on time
After a few games of bad starts, the Golden Knights started well against the Ducks.
They fired 12 shots in the first period and found the back of the net.
It marked the first time since Dec. 6 that the Golden Knights scored first.
“We addressed that our starts haven’t been good enough,” Kolesar said. “Tonight, it was nice to get the first one.”
Hertl-Karlsson-Kolesar Line Dominates
Hertl and Karlsson started the game together as linemates and had a phenomenal game.
“He’s easy-going guy, and he’s easy to communicate with,” Karlsson said. “We have a pretty good relationship.”
The duo and Kolesar had an expected goal number of 1.021, according to Moneypuck. It was one of the team’s better overall lines.
“It’s been a pleasure to play with him,” Karlsson said of Kolesar. “Very good on the forecheck and low-key fast, too. He gets up there, and you saw that on the last one, so it’s been a real treat.”
Much of it has to do with the three meshing together very well. They all play a direct game but have the individual skills to create for each other.
Cassidy has tried to find wing players for Karlsson and a place to play Hertl.
If this production continues, it will likely be more of a permanent fit to see Hertl on the wing with Karlsson and Kolesar.
Proud Penalty Kill
The Golden Knights penalty kill had a strong night, killing off all four of the team’s penalties.
It improved the Golden Knights’ penalty kill percentage to 79.2, as it continues to trend in the right direction.
More impressively, though, the Golden Knights found ways to get offensive chances against the Ducks, which included their third shorthanded goal of the season.
Cassidy said that’s by design, as he wants his forwards to be more aggressive on the kill and disrupt the team’s offense before it gets settled. He wants his team to balance out being aggressive along with being defensively sound.
“I feel as a coach, the less time you spend on your end on the PK, however you do that, the more successful you’ll be,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Assuming you’re not giving up Grade A after Grade A. … If it results in a little bit of offense for us, awesome. If it disrupts their group and they get a little frustrated, that’s probably the end goal.”
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
